The Language of Our Fathers – Part I

Over the history of this blog, I have received numerous comments, questions, and concerns about the language of Reformed Egyptian spoken of in the Book of Mormon. This post is meant to answer those various questions.

Question #1: “Was the Egyptian language spoken by the Nephites in the Land of Promise?”

Response:  There is no indication that the Egyptian language was ever spoken by Lehi, Nephi, or any of those who wrote in the Reformed Egyptian. While some will infer it was spoken merely because it was written, there is no indication of such in the scriptural record—in fact, it is quite possible to speak a language without being able to write it, and write a language without being able to speak it. As an example, there are scores of shorthand type writing, of which Gregg Shorthand is probably the best known, that was taught in high schools, business schools and colleges, used by stenographers and secretaries for decades in the early to middle 1900s. It was used more widely in the past, before the invention of recording and dictation machines, and was considered an essential part of secretarial training as well as being useful for journalists. Although the primary use was to record oral dictation or discourse, some systems were used for compact expression by journalists, doctors, writers and others. However, despite its widespread use, shorthand is not and never has been a spoken language.

Question #2: “What exactly is Reformed Egyptian?”

Response: The language was called reformed Egyptian, which term “reformed” should be considered, for in reforming, it implies the language was “changed, converted, improved or transformed—to improve by correction, to form again.” This suggests that whatever Egyptian language was involved at the time of Lehi, it was changed or improved. In addition, the idea of transforming has to do with undergoing total change, to convert from one form to another, to change completely for the better. This suggests that there might be little, if any, semblance in appearance to the original Egyptian language that was changed, altered or “reformed.”

Question #3: “Why did Lehi know Egyptian?”

Left: Tent where Lehi waited for the Caravans; Right: Camel Caravan traveling north past Jerusalem along the King’s Highway

Response: While this is but an educated guess, it might be considered what others have claimed about Lehi’s business. First, Lehi did not live inside Jerusalem (1 Nephi 1:4), but outside the city walls, which suggests he would have had a farm, animals, crops and trees (why he had the “seeds of every kind”), but at the same time, was involved in a merchandizing business where he would take his donkeys (asses) down to the King’s Highway below Jerusalem, set up his tent, and wait for Arab caravans to pass (why he had tents and donkeys to carry them when fleeing into the wilderness). From the Arabs he purchased or traded for caravan merchandise, probably including frankincense, myrrh, obsidian, spices, gold, ivory, pearls, precious stones and textiles among other trade goods, then took them up to Jerusalem and sold them to city merchants (camels could not travel to Jerusalem because of their soft feet on the sharp shale ground). It is well known that Arab traders became tremendously wealthy, and was probably how Lehi obtained his wealth (1 Nephi 3:16). In the 6^th Century B.C., Egypt was the seat of wealth, trade, finances, etc., and it is likely that Lehi increased his financial holdings through business dealings with Egypt. In that capacity, he would have needed to know the Egyptian language, and it is quite possible that in a business sense, a type of record-keeping was used wherein Lehi learned some type of Egyptian shorthand. Thus, it is quite possible that this reforming of the Egyptian language was done among a small group of Egyptian businessmen with whom Lehi was engaged, and not widespread enough for its knowledge to have survived down through time among Egyptologists. While this is all speculation, it certain fits all the facts that we know about Lehi, his wealth, and use of Egyptian language.

Question #4: “Many people claim the Jews of Lehi’s time hated Egypt and would not have spoken or written the Egyptian language.”

Response: In a pure sense, that may well have been true. However, don’t let the Jewish hard-line attitude toward Egypt (or other nations) fool you—they have always been interested in making money, have been the world’s financiers for centuries, have intermingled with most nations of the earth, and when necessity demanded, learned, wrote, and spoke the language required. It should also be remembered that the Nephites spoke and wrote Hebrew for the thousand years they were in the Land of Promise–the Egyptian language they used was for writing on the sacred plates to keep the record as the Lord directed.

Question #5: “In 1 Nephi 3:19, it says the purpose of the brass plates was ‘that we may preserve unto our children the language of our fathers.’ Does language of our fathers mean the Egyptian language?”

Nephi returns from Jerusalem with the Brass Plates of which Lehi was eager to receive and from which he found much comfort and knowledge

Response: No. It doesn’t mean language in that sense at all.  “The language of our fathers” was the knowledge of the generations of Jews that had written, lived, and spoke of God and his workings with man. It was the religious heritage of the Jewish people. Combined with what had “been spoken by the mouth of all the holy prophets” since the world began, it was the religious heritage, knowledge and essence of the Jewish people and their dealings with their God from the beginning of time. In this sense, the term “language” is used to mean information, not the way it is delivered. This is seen in “And now I, Alma, do command you in the language of him who hath commanded me, that ye observe to do the words, which I have spoken unto you” (Alma 5:61), and in describing the gross and evil manner of the Lamanites, Ammon added, “Now my brethren, ye remember that this was their language” (Alma 26:24), and Moroni, calling the Nephites to arms in defense of Liberty, referred to their ancestor and said: “let us remember the words of Jacob, before his death,” and went on to describe Jacob’s views, then added, “Now behold, this was the language of Jacob” (Alma 46:24) [emphasis mine].

Question #6: “Were the brass plates written in Egyptian or Hebrew?”

Lehi teaching his sons what he learned from reading the brass plates brought back from Jerusalem (1 Nephi 5:10-22)

Response: Evidently, they were written in Egyptian, for in Mosiah we find: “And he also taught them concerning the records which were engraven on the plates of brass, saying: My sons, I would that ye should remember that were it not for these plates, which contain these records and these commandments, we must have suffered in ignorance, even at this present time, not knowing the mysteries of God. For it were not possible that our father, Lehi, could have remembered all these things, to have taught them to his children, except it were for the help of these plates; for he having been taught in the language of the Egyptians therefore he could read these engravings, and teach them to his children, that thereby they could teach them to their children, and so fulfilling the commandments of God, even down to this present time.” The real question is ‘why were Jewish records from the creation to Jeremiah written in Egyptian?’ Unfortunately, we simply do not know.

(See the next post, “The Language of Our Fathers – Part II,” for more of these questions and responses)